Tubbenden Close

Image: © Ian Capper Taken: 16 Apr 2009

In the 1870s 5 large houses were built on the north side of Tubbenden Lane to the south of Orpington Station, the largest and easternmost being called Sherlies with the others being (from east to west) Northolme, The Alchornes, Fernbank and Sunnyside. All these other four are shown in the 1881 census with the name "Sherlies" next to the house name, suggesting that they were all part of the same original plot, subdivided for building purposes. All the houses have since been demolished, at different times, with their sites developed for housing. The Tubbenden Close development (including two short closes - Barry Close seen here in the middle distance and Morris Close further up) was built on the site of Sunnyside (to the left of the current road) and Fernbank (to the right). Comparison with the 1910 6 inch map suggests that the property boundary ran along the line of the current Close. Sunnyside was an especially interesting house. It was the home between 1874 and 1907 of George Allen, who was a friend of John Ruskin and who from 1870 onwards was engraver and publisher of all Ruskin's works. See http://www.lancs.ac.uk/users/ruskinlib/Pages/sunnyside.html for an article showing a picture of Sunnyside and http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=2&res=950CE0DC103EE033A2575AC2A96F9C946697D6CF for a copy of his 1907 obituary in the New York Times. The 1961 Orpington Town Guide, in a section on George Allen, mentions Sunnyside as having been renamed Ruskin House, a name that also appears in the 1938 Kelly's directory. The house was demolished in 1973. George Allen's firm went on to form part of the publishers George Allen and Unwin. The Ruskin connection is commemorated in nearby Ruskin Drive (see Image), the end of the back gardens of which, when built, followed the boundary of Sunnyside's grounds. It is perhaps unfortunate that Allen himself was not commemorated in some way in the name of one of the roads built on the site of Sunnyside. Fernbank also has historic significance - it was the childhood home of C.B.Fry, considered by some to have been the greatest sporting all-rounder of his generation, representing England at both cricket (1896 - 1912) and football (1901), as well as playing for Southampton in the FA Cup Final of 1902. He was also for a time a joint world record holder in the long jump, from 1893 - 1894. With thanks to local resident Calvin Wickham for help with the research into the history of Sherlies and its neighbours.

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